HC seeks government’s views on plea against salary hike for MLAs

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court ordered the government pleader to get instructions from the government on a public interest litigation petition seeking a direction to the State Finance Secretary not to implement the salary hike announced for MLAs.
The Bench, comprising Chief Justice H.L.Gokhale and Justice D. Murugesan, posted the matter for August 10.
In his petition, K.R.Ramaswamy alias ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy, a social worker, submitted that the Finance Minister had announced a hike in the salary of MLAs. He said legislators were expected to serve the people, recalling that in the distant past only an honorarium was paid to MLAs when they attended Assembly sessions. There was no fixed monthly salary. The hike in salary was unwarranted.